Suspended ceilings are widely used in homes, buildings, and other structures for aesthetic and other reasons. A typical suspended ceiling comprises a plurality of ceiling panels which are spaced below the true or structural ceiling of a room and which are supported by a matrix of horizontal rails suspended from the true ceiling.
A number of prior art patents disclose a variety of suspended ceilings or walls. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,994,113 (Dail) discloses a ceiling construction where individual, specifically shaped clip members are adapted to hang from rails and serve to support runners. These runners carry acoustic tiles which form the ceiling. Another type of suspended ceiling is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,638 (Englund et al), where individual clips, received in slots in carriers, are provided with spring portions for gripping a portion of a panel. Individual springs clips have also been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,591,361 (Knott). In this patent, the spring clip is slidably held in a furring strip and has resilient tabs to grip the wall panel. A multiple panel carrying carrier for sound proof walls is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,313,075 (Buchmeier). The carrier disclosed in this patent is slidably received between a pair of guide rails and is held in a tubular connecting portion of the guide rail by an arcuate end portion formed along one edge of the carrier. The other edge of the carrier includes a series of C-shaped noses for supporting C-shaped panels.
It will, of course, be understood that the patents discussed above are not represented to be exhaustive of the prior art. Moreover, no representation is being made that no closer prior art exists.